Blah.

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Smelly Danielly

Two Saturdays ago we held our open house / house warming party. The weather cooperated with us which was awesome because I don’t know how we would have housed all those people just inside. Though the party was a success and we received some very adorable gifts, I have felt like a bag of poo ever since. I guess you could say I was quite stressed out on Saturday and realized on Sunday that I barely ate or drank anything, leaving my stomach in a horrible state. Not to mention the pleasant migraine that showed up Sunday afternoon.

I have been in an extreme state of laziness every since. Mostly because I like being lazy and mostly because the destruction of the outside of our house has also started. That’s right, its drain tile time. I don’t want to deal with it so I have been hiding under the covers on the couch, every day, for 2 weeks. Because of this Chad had gone ahead and calculated that I have most likely spent 14 years of my life laying down. I think he is pretty accurate given the fact that I lay down every damn chance I get. I was not meant to be vertical.

So, I will probably continue to hide in my couch fort for the next little while as I try to avoid all the responsibilities and events coming up in my life. I’m usually not an avoid-er, but right now I can’t think of anything else I would rather do.

EXTREME INTROVERT ENGAGE!

Riverview Photo Walk – Center Lawn

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Smelly Danielly

Ferns and Moss and Moss and Ferns and Water

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Smelly Danielly

Part of the reason why I love forests is because I love moss and ferns. Or maybe the reason I love moss and ferns is because I love forests. Either way, the best thing about our back yard is that it feels like a forest. Hello moss and ferns galore. Now, what is better than moss and ferns outside? Why moss and ferns inside of course!

Since becoming aware of the popular Terrarium trend I have wanted to make one for our dining room table. I took my time doing research and looking for the perfect glass container to build it inside of.

At first I was going to build a succulent terrarium, until I realized our dining room did not get as much direct sunlight during the day as I had originally thought. No problem, moss and ferns love the shade! I went a little over board and purchased one too many plants to squeeze into my terrarium so I decided to make two.

My supplies included

1 round glass container – Potters
1 large glass vase – Gifted
1 bag decorative rocks – Gifted
1 bag charcoal – Garden Works
3 indoor tropical plants – Home Depot & Garden Works
1 miniature figurine – Garden Works
Potting soil – Garden Works
Moss – Back yard & Parks

Terrarium 1 – Complete!

There are two different methods of making a terrarium. One includes charcoal and one includes a bottom layer of moss. I decided to combine these two methods (why not?).

I started with a layer of rocks at the bottom (for drainage) then added a layer of moss as a barrier. I then layered the charcoal and potting soil. I planted the fern near the back of the bowl and surrounded it with some Soleirolia. Next I covered all the remaining dirt with moss, added a few decorative rocks and popped in my little bird bath & frog.

For my second terrarium I followed the same steps but added a Fittonia instead and surrounded it with moss.

If you are making a terrarium with only moss, it should be pretty self sustaining but since I have used tropical plants in mine, I have been watering them more frequently. Lightly misting them with a spray bottle every so often seems to be doing the trick, although the Soleirolia doesn’t look too happy right now.

I am very happy with the way both these terrariums turned out. Such a beautiful way to bring the outdoors in!

Back Alley Finds

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Smelly Danielly

When all your money gets tied up in home renovations, you have to be a little creative when it comes to furniture and accessories. Luckily, while driving to one of the factories I spotted this little chair dumped outside of an apartment building. The white paint was chipping off and the blue cushion was stained beyond repair, but I knew it was waiting to be turned into something wonderful.

A couple of fresh coats of left over trim paint + spare fabric I found in the warehouse at work + an inexpensive stapler from Home Depot and I have myself the perfect little guest room chair!

Mr. Budget was very happy with my free back alley find and now the guest bedroom doesn’t look so empty. Next I will be on the hunt for a bed side table.

Burgoo

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Smelly Danielly

Remember when I went to new restaurants all the time? Yea, that was fun. I told Chad if we ever won the lottery that’s what I would do with my life. I would dedicate it to food. And restaurants.

For my birthday dinner this year we ventured into the hipster neighbourhood of Main Street and checked out Burgoo. It was a very hot day and despite the fact that everyone around us was ordering salads and sandwiches, we decided to order dishes that would have been suitable to eat in the middle of winter. Needless to say, despite their absolute deliciousness, we could not finish them. Heat overload.

I’m a sucker for strong lemon aids. Especially ones with strawberries in them.

Hummus is our latest obsession. This one was TO DIE FOR.

Beef Bourguignon hon hon. I had it for lunch the next day. Mighty fine indeed.

Mac & Cheese is something I try to make but am never happy with the results. I guess it is best left to the professionals.

I love getting new jewelry from work and then putting it in a drawer at home and never wearing it. I am a great collector. This time I actually wore something.

I may be obsessed with Moscato now thanks to my God Father.

I finally learned to ask for pictures to be taken to commemorate events. If you don’t have group shots, you have nothing.

Whoa whoa whoa. Whats this? An outfit photo? I know, right? So bizarre. I figured since I liked this little outfit I put together, I should probably get a shot of it. Chad reminded me that I only look good in these photos when I make an angry face or look away from the camera. He was right. Smiling directly into the lens never works.

Also, flickr decided to go and makes itself all fancy, which I’m not too happy about and even though all the ratios of my photos are correct, the vertical ones look weird, right? I don’t know why people can’t leave well enough alone.

Happy Belated Birthday to ME.